There is hope for the hopelessly employed or the hopefully unemployed


I was fired from my craptastic job Aug. 19. It really was more of a break up. My boss said: this was not going to work out...that we were going in different directions…but… if there’s anything I can do for you…I think that qualifies as a “we can still be friends.”

This job had been steadily getting worse, with the no clients, the moving of the office, the lack of funds and incoming revenue, the insanity and paranoia exhibited by the boss. I can’t say as there was really much left and I was figuring on 6 mos. tops to feather my nest egg and then poof, I’d be gone.
Unemployed and looking at my bank account I couldn’t help but think: This is not what I’ve scrimped and saved for…so I can be unemployed. This was to go for something fun, or at least something I wanted. Not to be unemployed in Chicago…fun as that may sound to some of you.


Distraught over being unemployed (but not one wit about having lost that particular job) I did some pity drinking and then panicked over having lost my résumé. My sister found it (she has been designated as my archivist now). I reworked it and I called the CEO of an international company (who I had met thru my political event’s) which got me a call from his HR guy within 2 hours. I had my interview on day 2 of unemployment. The HR guy said he didn’t know of a job just that he had been asked to set this up. Still unsure if there was a job or what it was I went back for my 2nd. Interview after the weekend (day 5) and was hired. It’s a miniscule raise but the benefits are good. The only problem was that no one was exactly sure whom I’d be working for. When I accepted the job I asked what I’d be doing and was told I’d be working for: the Pres/CEO, the Director of Human Resources, the Special Project Manager…well, no one really could say. The Pres/CEO seems to want to either replace his Assistant (tho’ he loves her like a sister) or have me take over some of her stuff. The HR guy is waiting for me to take up my desk in front of his office so I can help him get organized with the 3 databases that don’t talk to each other and work on benefits, and the Project Manager seems to be keeping an eye on me too.

Well this is week 2 of the job and so far so good. It’s nice for a change to leave work late, not be angry about it and still have some hope. I no longer look at the weekends and see it as only 2 days till I have to go back. This will probably be less glamorous but it has a chance of advancement and still some thrills. Last week I could have hung out with Tony Bennett, but it was so nice to have the option not to go…I didn’t.